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LESSON

Online Disinhibition and Harms

Why is it easier to cross a line online than in person?

Most of us can spot obvious cyberbullying. The harder part is the gray area—the post that feels like a joke to the person making it and lands as something else entirely on the person it's about. In this lesson, students sort a set of everyday online behaviors by how harmful they are, discover they might not be able to easily agree, and dig into why. They come away understanding how online disinhibition makes it easy to cross a line without noticing, especially when the person on the other end isn't in front of you.

Objectives

  • Analyze how relationship, intent, and consent determine whether an online behavior causes harm
  • Explain how online disinhibition leads people to act in ways they wouldn't in person
  • Reflect on their own online behavior and the factors that can be easy to miss

Vocabulary

Online Disinhibition Effect
Online Disinhibition Effect when people behave differently online than they would in person
Time
45 mins.

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Lesson Materials

VIDEO

Is the Internet Making You Meaner?